I think this was the beginning of Josh steeping out of Leo's shadow by asking Santos to run for president and maybe he knew if he didn't do it then he may never have done it.
It's my second favorite line of the Santos arc. The first is when he puts the button on the cold open, "Hi, I'm Matt Santos! I'm running for president!"
Josh, two-time winner, handpicks the next candidate. Not sure how I feel about that, but there's gotta be a better selection process than the same people from the same families over and over...
@@lisaa8795 I mean, you've skipped a pretty big chunk of the story there (and I can't help but think you skipped it deliberately to make your wider point about nepotism). He didn't handpick the next candidate, he followed his gut and went and found the nominee that spoke to him the same way Bartlet spoke to Leo. They then ran against the ACTUAL handpicked candidate, Bob Russell, and beat him for the nomination, which still left it up to the American public (of the show) to vote for him in the election itself, which they did. And in terms of "the same people from the same families over and over" - Josh's dad DID work in DC, that is true. Leo's family DIDN'T. The rest of the Bartlet family DIDN'T. Matt Santos was the first member of his family to graduate from college, so obviously his family DIDN'T work in DC or handpick presidents either. I get you're likely trying to make a point about the real world, but nothing you've said applies to TWW, and you also don't seem to have actually watched the show either, since Josh and Santos's scrappy underdog fights, first to get respect, then to get the nomination, then to get the presidency, is very much the thing that helped the show end on an absolute high note after a mediocre halfway point. He didn't handpick anyone to be the candidate, Leo literally told him in the White House to drop Santos out of the race and endorse Bob Russell. Not really handpicking the next leader is the powers-that-be have already handpicked someone else
BARTLET You mean the House, but you should consider the Senate seat in Illinois in two years. I can help raise money. LEO No, I wasn't thinking about the Senate. I was thinking about the White House. BARTLET Hey, Leo, I swear to God there's no one I'd rather see in the Oval Office than you. But if you run, there's gonna be a lot of discussion about Valium and alcohol. I mean, it's gonna come out, this is the world. LEO Yeah. See, I wasn't thinking about me. SANTOS I'm not running for Congress again, Josh. Now, you came a long way, I'm sorry about that. But it's just... JOSH I'm not talking about Congress.
NBC didn't want another season. Had the ratings for season 7 gone back to the levels of seasons 1 or 2, maybe, but... they didn't. So they pulled the plug. Season 8 wasn't going to reach those ratings, and the salaries for the actors they were going to need to keep around (Whitford, Smits, Lowe, Alda, Maloney, Polo) certainly weren't going to be less for season 8 than they were for season 7... It went out on a higher note than it would have if, say, it were canceled after season 5 (the Toby space shuttle story notwithstanding). Better to go out when it did than to become an even paler shadow of the Sorkin years than it already had.
I think this was the beginning of Josh steeping out of Leo's shadow by asking Santos to run for president and maybe he knew if he didn't do it then he may never have done it.
Josh is one good tea party! Let him steep a little bit and he's good to go!
"I'm not talking about congress"
And just like that, the show's second wind kicks off 💜💜💜
It's my second favorite line of the Santos arc. The first is when he puts the button on the cold open, "Hi, I'm Matt Santos! I'm running for president!"
Josh, two-time winner, handpicks the next candidate. Not sure how I feel about that, but there's gotta be a better selection process than the same people from the same families over and over...
@@lisaa8795 I mean, you've skipped a pretty big chunk of the story there (and I can't help but think you skipped it deliberately to make your wider point about nepotism).
He didn't handpick the next candidate, he followed his gut and went and found the nominee that spoke to him the same way Bartlet spoke to Leo.
They then ran against the ACTUAL handpicked candidate, Bob Russell, and beat him for the nomination, which still left it up to the American public (of the show) to vote for him in the election itself, which they did.
And in terms of "the same people from the same families over and over" - Josh's dad DID work in DC, that is true. Leo's family DIDN'T. The rest of the Bartlet family DIDN'T. Matt Santos was the first member of his family to graduate from college, so obviously his family DIDN'T work in DC or handpick presidents either.
I get you're likely trying to make a point about the real world, but nothing you've said applies to TWW, and you also don't seem to have actually watched the show either, since Josh and Santos's scrappy underdog fights, first to get respect, then to get the nomination, then to get the presidency, is very much the thing that helped the show end on an absolute high note after a mediocre halfway point.
He didn't handpick anyone to be the candidate, Leo literally told him in the White House to drop Santos out of the race and endorse Bob Russell. Not really handpicking the next leader is the powers-that-be have already handpicked someone else
BARTLET
You mean the House, but you should consider the Senate seat in Illinois in two years. I can help raise money.
LEO
No, I wasn't thinking about the Senate. I was thinking about the White House.
BARTLET
Hey, Leo, I swear to God there's no one I'd rather see in the Oval Office than you. But if you run, there's gonna be a lot of discussion about Valium and alcohol. I mean, it's gonna come out, this is the world.
LEO
Yeah. See, I wasn't thinking about me.
SANTOS
I'm not running for Congress again, Josh. Now, you came a long way, I'm sorry about that. But it's just...
JOSH
I'm not talking about Congress.
I loved this series, shame it ended
Woah was Donna the inspiration for josh to 'move on' and ask Santos to run?!
How angry Abby looks as she closes the door. There was a price to pay, and she's paying it with him.
Thought she looked frightened.
This serie was soo good. The feel it gave me, still does. I'd give miy right arm if all was the same in real life.
The Bingo Bob villain arc begins...
Josh always looks his best when he has had a recent haircut.
I like disheveled Josh for many reasons! Like, he's busy in the thick of negotiations or some press engagement! That's the fiery Josh!
President Santos!!!!!
Poor Josh,no good bye kiss...
The scene before this where he gets the old Chinaman to talk in private is so good
"Donna quit"
"Donna Moss."
why is leo pretending he doesn't know what Josh is talking about?
It's not pretending. It's just an exclamation that captures how surprised he is.
Wish they would have kept the series going with Santos as Prez.
Apparently viewing figures were very low due to the limited class of audiences.
Me too.
Meh …
@@tjw2570 Santos might have breathed new life into the series and drawn more people. Should have tried another year.
NBC didn't want another season. Had the ratings for season 7 gone back to the levels of seasons 1 or 2, maybe, but... they didn't. So they pulled the plug. Season 8 wasn't going to reach those ratings, and the salaries for the actors they were going to need to keep around (Whitford, Smits, Lowe, Alda, Maloney, Polo) certainly weren't going to be less for season 8 than they were for season 7...
It went out on a higher note than it would have if, say, it were canceled after season 5 (the Toby space shuttle story notwithstanding). Better to go out when it did than to become an even paler shadow of the Sorkin years than it already had.